House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., announced that the House will vote on May 7 on whether to ask Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to appoint a special counsel to look into allegations the IRS illegally targeted conservative organizations for extra scrutiny. The action comes the same day House Republicans announced that Secretary of State John Kerry has been subpoenaed by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to testify on the 2012 Benghazi attack and Speaker John A. Boehner said he plans to call for a select committee to begin a new probe into how the administration handled the Sept. 11, 2012, terror attack.

"This is far too serious a matter to leave to the discretion of partisan political appointees no matter who is in the White House," the Virginia Republican said Friday in a statement. The full statement:

"After a lengthy and thorough investigation, the House Ways & Means Committee referred Lois Lerner to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution for violating the law by targeting conservative organizationsTo date, it appears the Department of Justice has taken no action on this referral. It is time for Attorney General Holder to appoint a special counsel to investigate the IRS targeting scandal and bring the appropriate charges against those responsible. There can be no doubt the IRS scandal has undermined the public's trust in our government. This is far too serious a matter to leave to the discretion of partisan political appointees no matter who is in the White House. I am pleased that my colleagues, Representatives Jim Jordan and Charles Boustany, have introduced a proposal calling on the Attorney General to appoint a special counsel. The House will vote on this matter next week and I call on every Member of the House, Republican and Democrat, to support this measure."